Wet Woes

Poodles famously were bred
as water dogs to take advantage
of their clever and competitive
spirit, their adeptness at manipulating
their environment in aid of their
human companions' penchant for
hunting. Alas, infamously, we
failed to inform and imprint our
dainty little poodle pups at a time
when such information might have
advantaged their precocious 
understanding of such basic
expectations. Our penalty now
is to observe their particular distaste
of rain or any exposure that might
perchance cause them the discomfort
of tiny, wet paws, as we ourselves
must pause and consider how now
to persuade them on rain-filled
days that their fastidious dismay
is unbecoming to the species.